Automobile wheel-tire.



L. S. FLATAU.

AUTOMOBILE WHEEL TIRE.

APPLIoATIoN FILED SBPT.14. 1906.

1, 1 1 6,256. Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

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tkouwyd AL. S. FLA'IAU.

AUTOMOBILE WHEEL TIRE.

APPLICATION IILBD sEPT.14.19oe.

1,1 16,256. Patented NOI/.3,1914

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LOUIS SPENCER FLATAU, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

AUTOMOBILE WHEEL-TIRE.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led September 14, 1903.

Patented Nov. 3, Millet. Serial No. 834,651.

To al] whom it mm/ concern Be it known that I, Louis Si'. FLA'rAU, acitizen of the United States, residingl at St. lLous, in the State ofMissouri, have inventedcertain new and useful Improve rnents inAutomobile VVheel-Tires, of which the followingr is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in tires for vehicle-wheels, moreparticularly for automobile or motor-vehicle wheels, which sustainconsiderable weight and rcquire most effective traction upon thepavement or road. lts object, among other things, is to provide for itsbeing readily substituted for the pneumatic type of tire, beingu adaptedto be applied to the ordinary wooden felly of that class of wheels whileit is equally applicable, of course, for the manufacture of wheels ofthis character without regard to wheels of any previous like, or othertype; to provide for simplicity and durability, and yet form awheel-tire which shall be easy running and relatively inexpensive,which, it is obvious, are dcsiderata; and to accomplish these ends withfacility and in an effective manner.

Said invention consists of'certain structural features orinstrumentalities substantially as hereinafter fully disclosed andspecifically pointed out by the claim.

ln the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of myinven tionnliigure l is a transverse sectional view thereof with partsbroken away. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same. Fig. 3 is a frag?-mentary longitudinal section thereof.

ln carrying out my invention, l provide for the application to theordinary wooden folly 1 of a pneumatic tired wheel, after de .ending itof its tubular or inflatable tire, of two preferably cast-steel halfrimmembers or sections 2 which may be made or formed of what is termedl'iron rolled for that purpose with irregular adjunctive parts so thatthey may be readily conformed to wheels of ditterent diameters by thedropiforge process, templcts or mandrels conformable to the requiredoutlines, as will be readily appreciated. Each half-rim member orsection, in addition to being circular, has the stem-portions 3 of itsT-shaped cross-seo tional outline adapted to conform to, and tltted uponthe circumference of the wooden telly. The opposed or inner edges of thestem-portions 3 of the half-rim members or sections do not come incontact with each other, however, but are suitably spaced apart as at4.- to provide for effectively drawing thereon and for compensatingshrinkage in tightening the same upon` the wooden felly and securelyclenching or gripping the outermost or tread sections of the tire, laterdescribed. Said rim-members or sections have each, one arm 5 of thecrossportion of its Tshaped outline, extending inward alongside of thewooden telly, the two arms thus being adapted to embrace or receive thelatter in applying the rim-members to said fully, as may be done eitherat the outset, as inv manu lecturing wheels with this type of tire, orlater to a wheel having this type of telly and equipped with thepneumatic or tubular form ot tire, it only being required to previouslydenude said rim of its tire, preparatory for the reception of saidhalf-rim members or sections, with the traction or tread sectionsreferred to. The other arm l5 of each half-rim member or section isrelatively curved first outward .and then inward over rounded lateralextensions of the outermost or tread-'sections or segments 7 of thetire, and finally gripped or clenched down upon said lateral extensionsof said sections, thus, with the aid of rivets 8, et'ectively securing'the latter in place in said half-rim members or sections. Sa id half-rimmembers or sections are, thcm selves, secured to the wooden fellr l bybolts .fl passed therethrough and suitably nutequippcd. Said tread ortraction sections 7 n'iadc preferably of blocks of rubber, may be ofother material as wood, and may have interposed between them steelpartings or wedges for their compact or solid embedment within saidhalf-rim members or sections, as will be readily understood. Theserubber-hlocks are each preferably recessed or have a portion of itsinner surface or edge cutaway as at lll. The object of the cutawayportion in each of the resilient tread sections 7 is to permit ot' thesections being strengthened at their upper surfaces, rather thanweakened when they are clamped between the rim members. The sectionsbeing of a resilient nature are compressible and the cutawa portionsformed 1n the lower sides thereo permit the lower ends of the treadsections to be drawn to ward each other and force the central portion ofthe tread sections upward and thereby increase the strength of the uppersurfaces of the tread sections.

The aforesid Combination und er1-engement of parte comprise e' sienne9eumpeet and durable "when7 espeeelllyror Vehicles of the character notedherein, es will he eppreceted.

. The combination with e eHy, of rim mem- Toele hvng upper und lowerengee, Ineens netmeeting the lon/ef flanges to the telly, teed sectionsreceived between thev upper flanges, eeeh ot said treed sections havinge recess formeel in its heee torn/ung; e encuen enentell. 'geneve on theunder eide et the treedt hotly, means passing though the up= per nen esfor fastening the Sections' in position enel causing the eentml portionot the treed seetone to he forced upwardly for strengthening the upperportion of the treed sections.,

n testimony whereof Il have signed my neme to this speeeetion in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

LGULVS SPENCER FLATAU o TWitnesses;

J, Buse,

JJ", S., @meeuw

